Updated every Monday, Wednesday and Friday ... and maybe other days too.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Chess Graffiti

You can be pretty sure that when one of my posts does nothing more than copies the content of somebody else's, I've either found something I really like, or I'm being lazy. Or both. But don't worry about that. Instead, via Mark Weeks, take a look at this chess graffiti:

Yes, that's right. Not only is it really rather magnificent, but a white square is in the right-hand corner too.

And take a look at some of the detail:

The bishops are from the rap-group Run DMC (the pawns are speakers) but what of the other pieces? I have no idea. Do any of our readers know?

And another intrigue: if you take a look at the much larger original -and I recommend you do- you'll see that at the top the white squiggle is actually a vs, the yellow writing presumably the names of the two players. Indeed, the first yellow word is Grandmaster. Is it possible to identify the two players?

Finally, it turns out that this piece of chess graffiti is actually in Brighton, in the North Laine area. Have any of our readers seen it? Taken other photographs they'd like to share? Or know if on the wall opposite an opponent is painted, waiting eternally for that poised white pawn to land, or at least until his house is demolished, or until the council paints all over his face?

Oh no, not the "is it art?" chestnut!I was wondering whether the graffitists ( if that's how we should address them ) would prefer NOT to be thought of, or referred to, as "artists" so as to emphasis their position outside the mainstream. But then hasn't Banksy just opened an exhibition with Bristol City Council?